Farm staff and livestock with the site’s recently purchased truck and trailer, made possible with support from The Cannon Foundation and private donors.
Manteo, NC – Island Farm is pleased to announce the purchase of a new truck and trailer to bolster its Heritage Livestock Program! Made possible with generous support from The Cannon Foundation and private donors, these assets will enhance our local community’s access to the Farm’s livestock and associated programming and provide the Farm with increased access to veterinary care and various feed and supply sources.
Also thanks to The Cannon Foundation, Island Farm is solidifying its commitment to heritage breeds of livestock (and their role on mid-19th century Roanoke Island) while simultaneously expanding its programming and bringing livestock to local schools and events.
The Farm’s hands-on, curriculum-aligned programs focus on teaching the importance of livestock in early life and agriculture along the Outer Banks, and how animals provided a variety of benefits to families striving to subsist on scant resources in a tough climate. Adam Dough Etheridge, who built the historic homeplace at Island Farm in 1847, relied heavily on his oxen, cattle, horses, sheep, and a variety of fowl which provided food (meat, milk, butter), goods (leather, wool), and draft power for agriculture. The mid-nineteenth century marked an increased interest in purebred stock given their propensity to weather environmental difficulties as well as their ability to serve double and sometimes triple functions. Etheridge’s animals and most livestock of that time period are now considered heritage breeds, and different from modern livestock breeds today.
The Farm’s livestock and agriculture programs have always placed students in front of heritage breed animals, their traditional working equipment, and the agricultural practices utilized by early Outer Bankers. Now, with The Cannon Foundation’s grant award this program may be shared outside of the Farm itself, giving significantly-expanded access to our hands-on, local history programming!
Island Farm will begin scheduling on-site livestock programming at local schools and events soon. Please reach out to us if you are interested and would like to learn more, by emailing islandfarm@obcinc.org
